Population by race/ethnicity

Population

Population by race/ethnicity

What does this measure?

The number of persons in racial and ethnic groups in a geographic area in a given year.

Why is this important?

Population measures provide insight on the changing size and face of communities. The share of racial and ethnic groups in the total population of a community can indicate diversity, which can bring with it challenges and opportunities.

How is our region performing?

White residents made up the largest share of the population in the region in 2010-14, with 91% of the total. Black residents made up 6% of the population, followed by Hispanic residents with 4%. Other racial groups made up less than 2% of the total population. The urban county of Knox was more diverse than the region as a whole: the share of black residents was 9%, and there were slightly larger shares of Asian residents and residents of "Other" racial/ethnic groups (both 2%). Union County, with 98% white residents, was the least diverse of counties in the region. Loudon County had the highest proportion of Hispanic residents (8%), though shares for other non-white racial/ethnic groups were low. (Hispanic residents can be of any race.)

Notes about the data

The multiyear figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined five years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census.